Winlay declines (from her point of view)

"Your Holiness." Her voice was hushed, but firm. "It would not be proper for a mere initiate like myself to waste your precious time." Stepping away from the table she bowed deeply again to the High Priest "By your leave ... " She started and then stopped suddenly as she saw something she had not ever imagined possible even in her most horrific fears. The High Priest stood to protest Winlay's refusal and in his haste had not taken care to check his appearance, Clearly visible, poking from under his swollen belly and through a gap in his ornate robes was the purple head of his swollen member. The head gleamed with a damp sheen, and even as naive as Winlay was she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the man must have been stroking himself the entire time they had been speaking.

Not even waiting for Beldan's leave, Winlay turned and fled for the great doors. The thick wooden doors were massive and Winlay wasn't even sure she had the strength to push them open. She could hear Beldan's whiney voice as he barked orders to his clerk and chamberlain. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that the two men were rapidly closing with her, her small hands turned the great brass knob that latched the door but she lacked the strength to push open the massive portals. In frustration she threw her weight forward wincing as her shoulder hit the solid panel with a dull thud that barely made the door move at all.

"Take her!" The shrill voice of the High Priest was filled with malice and now the servants were moving in her direction as well. Outnumbered five to one Winlay redoubled her attempts to swing the door open. The chamberlain and red nosed clerk were barely a meter away from her, their hands lifting to seize her when suddenly the great door was swung open, dragging her into the mirrored ante-chamber where she had been waiting just minutes before. Standing in the doorway was Brother Jerome, for a second or two everyone froze in surprise. Jerome had clearly not expected to see Winlay in a full panic chased by several servants of the Church, and the neither the chamberlain nor Beldan's sniffly clerk were prepared for someone of Jerome's size and aristocratic bearing standing by Winlay's side.

"Forgive me for interrupting your Holiness." Brother Jerome was the first to react. "I had hoped I could discuss with you my placement in the Empirial Palace."

Something about Brother Jerome's quiet demeanor cut through the chaos of the High Priest's office, and Beldan gestured abruptly for the servants to remain still.

"The Church is always willing to listen to reasonable petitions, my son." The angry screech was no longer as noticeable in Beldan's tone, although Winlay still found his voice grating. Winlay took advantage of the thin veneer of civility and bowed again to the High Priest, turned and fled from the Priest's domain leaving Beldan and Jerome behind her as quickly as she could. She fully expected Beldan to command her to stop, and she wasn't sure what she'd do if he did but thankfully she was able to escape the Holy Palace without having to defy the second most powerful man in the Church of Xelta in front of even more witnesses.

The long walk back up to the convent was a blur of thoughts, sights and emotions. Winlay was only barely aware of the people in the crowded streets or the shops, schools and libraries that she passed by on her way back to the safety of her convent cell. Would Beldan send her home with a proclamation declaring her unfit for service in the Church? Or would he summon her again to his chambers and demand she apologize for insulting his venerable office. Maybe he'd have her arrested by the Templars and dragged in chains to the inquisition. How could her lifelong dream have turned into a night horror in just a single day?

By the time she reached the convent gates she was a mess. Her legs were trembling with fatigue from the rapid climb and her face was streaked with tears. She passed only a few other initiates as she entered the convent and made her way to her rooms, most must be eating in the dining hall. The novices who did see her chose not to comment on her obvious distress, and she made it to her room without having to explain what was wrong to any well meaning individuals.

Ignoring even her bed, Winlay sank to the cool floor in the far corner of her chamber and let the tears flow freely. She wasn’t sure how long she had been crying when she saw something that surprised her enough to make he forgot her own worries. Had she been in any other place in the room she never would have seen ...